The Media & The Late, Great Carradine

This morning, as television stations and internet outlets everywhere are flooded with the coverage of the Micheal Jackson memorial, I wanted to take a step back and remember a great actor who has been lost amongst the rash of recent celebrity deaths - David Carradine. Don't get me wrong, MJ was as much a part of my childhood as anyone and I am certainly a tad nostalgic, and I can't say enough about the impact of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett...but for shit sake! Recent buzz suggests Carradine was murdered. Murdered people, in a Thai hotel! And how unbelievably sad and humiliating for a guy who has struggled throughout a lengthy career virtually unnoticed outside of Kung Fu...and who only recently seemed to be getting the recognition he rightly deserved with his Tarantino connection.

Anyway, I could go on about the MJ thing, but I truly think its a sad day and won't get into it. But still...doesn't it seem odd that Carradine died so suspiciously and tragically and that there is so little out there about it? *sigh* With respect for the family, I understand the silence, and await the next tidbit of info on this great actor with baited breath.

And so, I decided i'd throw my own little memorial for Mr. Carradine and highlight two of his films I love and will remember him by.

Q, The Winged Serpent



The film's premise is that the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the "winged serpent", has been resurrected by a cult in modern New York City and is flying about, snatching people off the skyscrapers. Carradine and Roundtree play police detectives investigating the sudden rash of suspicious deaths, disappearances and dismemberings. Meanwhile a petty criminal (Moriarty), on the run after a failed robbery, accidentally discovers the creature's lair and tries to blackmail the city into paying for the information (source: Wiki).

Michael Moriarty, Carradine & Richard Roundtree folks. Get on this.

Death Race 2000



In the year 2000 the United States has been destroyed by a financial crisis and a military coup. Political parties have collapsed into a single Bipartisan Party, which also fulfills the religious functions of a unified church and state. The resulting fascist police state, the United Provinces, is headed by the cult figure "Mr. President" (Sandy McCallum). The people are kept satisfied through a stream of gory gladiatorial entertainment, which includes the bloody spectacle the Transcontinental Road Race, depicted as a symbol of American values and way of life. The coast-to-coast, 3 day race is run on public roads, and points are scored not just for speed, but for the number of innocent pedestrians struck and killed (Source: Wiki).

Arguably Carradine's best and most notoroious role.

There are more, and many. Check out his earlier stuff. We lost a legend, RIP.